Operation Nar Shaddaa
by m4x70r
Summary: 2 years BBY, Imperial Perspective. Two undercover Imperial Soldiers arrive at Nar Shaddaa on a mission to track down a dangerous criminal. Out of place amongst the pirates and smugglers they find themselves surrounded by, the pair must be cautious and vigilant in their search for the enemy.
1. Chapter 1

_This is a prequel of sorts for two characters covered in another of my FanFics called "To No Avail". Hope you enjoy this little exploration into the past of these characters and how it will shape the men they become. As always reviews are appreciated!_

Operation Nar Shaddaa.

High above the planet Nal Hutta, adopted home world of the Hutt species and the center of the Hutt Empire, orbits the moon Nar Shaddaa. A planet wide city covers the entire surface of this ecumenopolis moon. Nar Shadda was once a commercial center and trade port that rivaled the glory of even Cosuscant. Over time that prosperity decayed and the planet wide city became a center for crime and piracy. Being in orbit of the Hutt capital, it was perhaps the best example of unchecked crime and corruption in the entire galaxy, it was a dangerous place. Nicknamed "The Vertical City", Nar Shaddaa was home to a seemingly endless population of pirates, smugglers, slave traders, drug traffickers, and any other form of scum you can imagine. It was the unofficial capital of the black market in the galaxy. But it was also the site of an Imperial Army covert-ops mission undertaken by Imperial Army Captain Jhan Miles and Specialist Wilkis Zarin in the year 2BBY.

In orbit of Nar Shadda, a modified WUD-500 freighter, christened the "Ghost Jewel" is entering the heavily trafficked airspace over the "Vertical City".

"Shouldn't we get clearance to approach Captain?" Wilkis asks, an obvious tone of worry in his voice.

Specialist Wilkis Zarin is 22 years old and has been a Storm Trooper in the Imperial Army for just over 2 years. He is unaccustomed to operating outside of his armor and outside the disciplined regimen of the Storm Trooper ranks. It was his close friend, Captain Jhan Miles who volunteered him for this mission. Despite his repeated protests, Miles was his superior, and Wilkis was given no choice in the matter. They have spent the past 3 days making their way to Nar Shaddaa in this old beat up freighter confiscated by the Empire. Acquired from a detained smuggler weeks ago, the ship was repaired and issued to the team for the duration of the mission along with a cargo hold full of illegal goods. Wilkis is nervous beyond words at the thought of breaking the laws he has sworn to uphold and dealing with the same types of criminals he took an oath to fight.

"No. This is not Imperial Space. It's lawless out here." Miles says. "And stop calling me Captain. We aren't Imperial Troopers, we're smugglers remember? We have to maintain cover at all times on the surface."

"Right." Wilkis replies.

Jhan Miles, is a Captain in the Imperial Army, he has served as a Storm Trooper for nearly 15 years. At 35 years old, he is older than most officers of his rank. He spent his first 4 years as an enlisted trooper and excelled in his duty culminating in his achievement to the rank of Sergeant. He was selected for Officers training and enlisted in the ROTC program on Carida. He spent two years there before getting an officers commission as a Second Lieutenant. 3 years later he was promoted to First Lieutenant, and 2 years ago he was promoted to Captain. His high level of combat training and his skill at infiltration landed him this particular assignment.

The mission called for tracking down a pirate known only as "Arkin". Arkin is accused of taking contracts to destroy Imperial Civilian transports running the hyperspace lanes. He has destroyed 6 transports already, resulting in over 650 deaths. The Empire wants to find out who put these contracts out and needs Arkin captured alive to be brought back for interrogation. Typically, a target like this would have a bounty put on his head, but the Empire does not wish to have Arkin's employers start covering their tracks once they know the Empire is closing in. A covert-ops mission was planned. It called for no more than 2 soldiers to infiltrate the black market operations on Nar Shaddaa and track down the fugitive. Miles volunteered for the assignment and was quickly chosen to lead the mission based on his service record. He chose his friend Wilkis Zarin to join him against some serious protests.

Despite their age difference, Miles and Zarin consider each other great friends. They both hail from the planet Anaxes and both have families with a long history of military service. They first met when Miles was already a Lieutenant in the Imperial Army. They bonded over their shared obsession for playing "Dejarik" and a mutual appreciation for any member of the female sex. Miles would often share tales of his adventures in Imperial Service and eventually Zarin decided to enlist as well. It was by pure luck that both got stationed on board the ISD Devastator, however Wilkis was placed in a specialized unit called Desert Sands used primarily for missions in extreme temperature environments, whereas Miles serves as a member of the 501st Legion and sees a lot more action of a regular basis. Miles sees Wilkis as a sort of protégé and spends a lot of time training Wilkis in the skills he has picked up over the years. He feels that Wilkis being a member of a specialized unit loses out on the opportunities for experience and training more active Troopers get in their daily service, so he has made it his mission to make sure Wilkis doesn't fall behind. Because they serve in different units the two never get to work together, so Miles specifically had Zarin join him on this mission, if nothing else than to get the chance to finally have a tale they can share and own together but also to continue the vision of training he has for Wilkis.

"Navigating this airspace can be tough so keep our speed down." Miles says. "Once we're near the commercial center we're going to get about 45 hails from various docking ports vying for us to pay them for use of their docking facility. I don't care to haggle today so just accept the first one that makes contact. I'm going to get back into the cargo bay and prep our gear."

Miles gets up from his seat and makes his way to the back of the cockpit.

"Roger that sir." Wilkis says as he takes the flight controls.

"And Wilkis?" Miles says as he stops at the door, looking back.

"Yes sir?" Wilkis asks.

"Stop with the 'sirs'. Call me Miles from here on out." Miles says.

"Yes si-" Wilkis starts before stopping himself. He shakes his head quickly. "You got it, Miles."

Miles laughs quietly as he steps out of the cockpit, the hatch closes behind him. He makes his way down the small corridor leading to the ships crew compartment, his boots clang against the metal plating and send echoes down the small passageway. He reaches the next hatch and hits the release. The door opens to reveal the crew compartment. This room is typically for use of passengers and crew during transit. Smugglers use these areas as miscellaneous parts storage since their cargo bays tend to be filled with contraband. This room has the entrance to the bridge and crew quarters, the hatch leading to the cargo bay, and the main entry hatch for the ship. Along the ceiling is the auxiliary hatch leading to the roof of the ship, and along the floor are various maintenance hatches, often used for smuggling as well. The room is still full of random junk left over from the previous owner whom the Empire confiscated the ship from. Miles makes his way to the cargo bay hatch, weaving his way around various boxes and components. When he reaches the cargo bay hatch he hits the release.

Nothing happens.

Miles stares at it for a moment. He can hear the motor trying to open the door, but there is no movement. Miles kicks the hatch hard with his boot. The door shakes a bit before finally opening. Miles shakes his head with annoyance as he enters the darkened bay. He hits the control for the lights. They flicker and slowly come to life. The ship rocks slightly. Miles looks over the cargo in the bay. Most of the boxes put in the ship are various items of contraband confiscated from a wide array of arrested pirates and smugglers. It was all repurposed for the mission by Miles' commanding officer. Everything in here is illegal in Imperial Space, and the hope is, Miles can use the items to get credits with which to buy information on their target, or gain favor to earn the trust of any associates who know the target. Miles scans over the manifest provided by the team who loaded the bay to get an idea what he is working with. The ship rocks again, more violently this time. Miles reaches over and hits the com.

"Everything alright up there Wilkis?" Miles asks.

"Yeah just fine!" Wilkis responds through the com, clearly annoyed by something. "Nothing to worry about, just some crinking stoopas cutting me off!"

Miles smiles and continues reading the manifest. The ship rocks some more. Miles has memorized the list and deletes the data. He picks up a nearby hard case and takes it with him as he turns off the lights and heads back up to the cockpit. As he enters the corridor leading to the cockpit he can hear Wilkis cursing loudly, likely at passing ships. When he enters he can see that they have entered a heavily populated zone over the Vertical City and are nearing a small space port.

"Any luck finding a landing pad?" Miles asks as he sits down.

"Yeah, we got clearance for that space dock up ahead, if these ships would get out of my way I can come in for a proper landing!" Wilkis says, frustration dominating his words.

"Don't worry about any proper protocol, just come in hot if you have to." Miles says. "These guys will move out of the way."

Wilkis turns the ship hard about and manages to cut some other traffic off. Those ships don't bother slowing down as they pass over and under the "Ghost Jewel" shaking the ship as they pass. Wilkis brings the ship in fast towards the open docking bay below before engaging full thrusters to slow their decent. The blast scorches the tarmac of the docking pad but it's likely no one would notice anyway since the pad appears to have never been cleaned before. The ship sets down and Wilkis cuts the engines.

"Gah!" Wilkis lets out a long exasperated sigh. "I hate flying on unregulated planets! They need a blasted control tower or something!"

Miles gets up and heads to the crew compartment. As he enters he sets the box he took from the cargo bay onto the table and opens it up. Inside are two blasters, holsters for them, and two small covert communicators. Wilkis enters the bay behind him.

"Here." Miles says as he hands Wilkis a blaster.

Wilkis takes the blaster and checks the safety, checks the charge and then secures the blaster in the holster before strapping it to his belt. Miles then hands Wilkis one of the communicators, which Wilkis places in his shirts inside pocket.

"I feel so exposed without armor." Wilkis says as he surveys his outfit. A typical scoundrels set of clothing, Wilkis scrutinizes the dirty black slacks and dark brown, and very worn out leather jacket he wears.

"I know what you mean." Miles says as he straps his blaster and holster to his belt and pockets the communicator. He zips up his dark blue jacket and runs his hands through his hair shaking his hands as he goes. He looks even scruffier than before.

"Is this really how smugglers prefer to dress and look?" Wilkis asks. "I mean, how can they command respect without proper grooming?"

"They tend to only respect those who can get them money or whoop their butt." Miles says as he pulls out a digital survey reader. On its screen is a map of the surrounding area. "Stay tough, don't take any crap and don't hesitate to threaten to kill anyone who gets in your way. You got me? That's the only language the types in this place understand."

"I got it." Wilkis says as he confirms his blaster in well within reach. "You know how much I hate disorder. I don't think I'd mind beating some Imperial training into one of these pirates."

"Don't go picking fights though. We need to act the part. We hate the Empire, we're here to sell stolen goods remember." Miles says. "In fact, just let me do the talking, I don't need to clean up after you again."

Miles turns and heads towards the ships main entry hatch.

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Wilkis says as he follows Miles.

"You remember that bouncer back at the Corellian Pub on Anaxes?" Miles asks with his eyebrows raised.

"Yeah so?" Wilkis says as he furrows his brow. "That guy and I got along just fine!"

"Yeah! Because I paid him not to kick your ass after you told his girlfriend she looked weathered!" Miles says as he hits the entry hatch controls.

"That was his girlfriend?" Wilkis says shocked. "Opps."

"Yeah, oops. Don't go causing trouble on this mission Zarin, I'm warning you." Miles says as he starts down the entry ramp.

The pair exits the ship and looks around. The bay is filthy and worn down. The Auxiliary Energy ports used to recharge docked ships batteries are broken, the cooling vent recyclers are missing and the main docking bay door doesn't appear to be able to close leaving the ship exposed to the polluted air and traffic of the city above. Miles looks up and watches as the endless stream of ships pass overhead. He looks down. The refueling tubes seem intact at least.

"Well at least we won't be stuck here." Miles says.

Across the docking bay the main exit port opens and an overweight and foul looking Klatoonian enters. He scuttles over to Miles and Wilkis.

"Ah welcome to Nar Shaddaa, yes yes. I am Yheedo." Yheedo says. "Docking fee is 6,000, you must pay now."

Miles looks at Wilkis with scrutiny.

"6,000?" Miles asks Wilkis. "You really agreed to that?"

"You told me take the first offer!" WIlkis says as he tosses his hands up to his sides.

Miles shakes his head and turns to Yheedo.

"Look, I'll pay you 1,000 no more." Miles argues.

"Docking fee is 6,000!" Yheedo shouts.

Miles lets out a long deep breath. They've been on Nar Shaddaa for all of 5 minutes and already someone is trying to con them out of credits. It's clear that Miles will need to take his own advice on how to deal with the populace here.

"Look, you either take the 1,000 or I get back in my ship and find someplace else." Miles says as he crosses his arms across his chest in defiance. "And you'll be lucky if I don't drop a few thermal detonators into the bay before I leave! Not that anyone could tell the difference anyway, this place is beat to all hell."

Yheedo frowns and stares at Miles. He shakes his head as he absorbs the insults and the threats.

"Gah! Fine, 1,000. All the same, you humans, you think you can push anyone around and get away with it!" Yheedo says.

"I'm not the one trying to rob people who park in this Bantha pen you call a space port." Miles says as he removes some credits from his jacket and hands them to Yheedo. "Don't touch my ship while I'm away Yheedo. It's not worth your life."

Miles can't tell if Yheedo hears him as the Klatoonian looks down and counts the credits in his hand with some poorly veiled excitement. Miles assumes that Yheedo probably tries to con a hundred ships a day and Miles and Wilkis are probably the first ship he thought he had snared. While 1,000 credits is still a steep price for parking, Miles feels at the very least Yheedo will quickly spread the word that some "suckers" are in town looking for business. If it gets Miles and Wilkis some interested parties quicker, all the better for their mission.

Miles heads towards the exit, Wilkis right behind him. Yheedo stands there putting on his most grumpy expression possible. He eventually follows them out of the bay as well. Miles and Wilkis exit the small space port facility and enter the street outside. Nar Shaddaa is so populated most of the foot traffic uses bridges connecting the various structures, as well as tubes running through the buildings themselves. The streets are filled with small make shift markets scattered around in a completely unorganized manner. The owners of street side shops fight with the merchants setting up their tents in front of their businesses in every direction Miles can see. Small air taxis come and go for those who don't wish to walk but since Miles and Wilkis have no idea where to start their search they decide to take it slow and remain on foot for now. Miles turns to Wilkis.

"Alright, the ship will be our home while we're here." Miles says. "We need to get some leads. I figure the best place to start is to start earning a reputation as smugglers selling goods. We have several crates of Death Sticks on the ship, let's go find a buyer."

"Death Sticks?" Wilkis protests. "Those are illegal, we can't sell those!"

"We're smugglers Wilkis, we don't care about laws." Miles says as he steps closer. "We're going for the bigger fish here, don't sweat the small stuff. Not now at least."

Wilkis is visibly concerned about the whole concept. He didn't want to come on this mission in the first place and breaking the law is not something he is comfortable with. He knows Death Sticks are a scourge on civilized society and he holds himself to higher standards. But Miles is right. They are going after the big fish here. The ones who employ Arkin are responsible for killing hundreds of innocent Imperial civilians. If he needs to bend his morals for a few days in order to bring them to justice, then so be it.

"Fine." Wilkis relents. "Lets go find a bar and start selling Death Sticks." Wilkis says as he walks into the crowded street.

Miles looks around and takes in the atmosphere of Nar Shaddaa. It is crowded and everyone here has terrible secrets. Most are criminals hiding from the Empire or simply avoiding its systems to continue to indulge their sins and vices. Miles and Wilkis however carry the most dangerous secret of all. They are Imperial agents. If anyone found out, they wouldn't last two minutes before they were killed. They had to be careful. Miles follows Wilkis into the crowded street.


	2. Chapter 2

_This is a prequel of sorts for two characters covered in another of my FanFics called "To No Avail". Hope you enjoy this little exploration into the past of these characters and how it will shape the men they become. As always reviews are appreciated!_

_Keep an eye out for my homage to Skyrim!_

Operation Nar Shaddaa. Chapter 2

Miles is sitting alone at a table beside a window, outside a crowded bar on the streets of Nar Shadda. If you could call it a street, in reality it's nothing more than a walkway hanging between two large buildings. It's obvious that it was constructed many years ago with a hodgepodge of materials by engineers who probably couldn't operate a hydro spanner let alone design a safe walkway.

The plating beneath Miles feet shakes as a ship flies by overhead. Miles takes another sip of his drink to calm his nerves. He wonders what will get him killed first, getting caught as an Imperial agent on this world, or a failure of the shoddy workmanships holding this place together. He looks out over the crowd milling about the street. So far there doesn't seem to be anyone following Miles and Wilkis. This could be a good or a bad sign.

If Miles was being pessimistic, he would assume everyone here knows he is an Imperial Agent and know to stay clear of him. They know to not bother trying to sell or buy anything from him. Or maybe the citizens are just afraid that when a bounty hunter finally comes to kill Miles and Wilkis, there would likely be plenty of collateral damage and they simply don't want to get caught in it.

On the other hand, if Miles was being optimistic, he would assume that he's blending in perfectly and no one knows they have goods to sell just yet.

Miles takes another sip as he considers what he feels about that dilemma.

Wilkis finally comes out of the bar in a huff and sits down at the table. He grabs the drink from Miles hand and downs the whole thing in one big gulp.

"This is ridiculous!" Wilkis says as he slams the cup down.

"I was drinking that you know?" Miles responds as he turns to face Wilkis.

"Not a single damn patron wants the Death Sticks." Wilkis says as he ignores Miles comment and turns to look out over the crowd. "All these people have enough drugs to fill a cargo freighter! How the hell does this place not implode on itself from the way they live?"

"Functioning addicts." Miles says as he takes the cup back from Wilkis hands and looks into it.

"What?" Wilkis asks, his gaze turns back to look at Miles.

"They're functioning addicts." Miles says as waves his hands towards a waitress on the other side of the window, when she sees him he points at his drink cup. "They've been on drugs for so long it doesn't even faze them anymore. They say what sorts of items they do want?"

"Yeah, weapons." Wilkis says as he shakes his head in disgust. His eyes seem to judge every person that walks by. "It seems that between their brief moments of lucidity, all these people want to do is kill one another or go off world and kill others."

The waitress makes her way outside and comes up to the table.

"What do you want?" The waitress asks with an obvious tone of annoyance.

"A refill?" Miles asks with an equal level of sarcasm as the waitress.

The waitress scoffs and rolls her eyes as she takes the cup and walks back into the bar.

"Alright, so we switch to selling weapons." Miles says as he folds his hands together and cracks his knuckles.

"We go from being drug dealers to being arms dealers?" Wilkis asks with some astonishment. "Blast it Miles, what the hell have you got me into?"

"Relax Wilkis!" Miles says as he leans in closer. "You're not going to make me remind you why we're here every hour are you?"

Wilkis frowns and shakes his head as he turns his gaze back to the crowd. It's true, Miles has had to remind Wilkis of the importance of their mission more than once since they've landed here. But it hasn't helped ease the difficulty for Wilkis. When he first signed up to the Empire, he was under the impression he would be enforcing law and order, not bending it for some "greater good". It's a task he wasn't expecting, nor one he feels fully prepared to handle.

The waitress comes back out of the bar with Miles cup, now full of whatever strange brew they are serving here. Miles grabs her arm as she sets the cup down. Hers eyes widen and she seems to pull her free arm back, ready to slap Miles. She relaxes when she sees the wad of cash in Miles other hand as it comes out from under the table.

"Miss, let me ask you something." Miles says as he rests his elbow on the table, the cash hanging in the air between the two. "Is there anywhere nearby, that deals specifically with arms sales?"

The waitress looks around nervously before turning back to Miles.

"Belethors Imports." The waitress says.

"Can you tell me how to get there?" Miles asks with a smile.

The waitress pulls her hand free and takes out a small pen, she leans over and draws a crude map on a napkin before handing it to Miles.

Wilkis watches with amazement. Hes not sure if this is a smart move or a dumb one. He decides to just follow Miles lead on this one. Miles takes the napkin and examines it briefly before turning to the waitress. He hands her the wad of cash.

"Thank you miss." Miles says as he picks up his cup and takes a sip.

The waitress pockets the money and heads back inside in a hurry. Wilkis catches her steal a few glances abck at them as she disappears into the bar. Miles takes a few more swigs of his drink before standing up.

"Come on." Miles says to Wilkis as he zips up his jacket. "Time to head out."

Wilkis gets up and looks out over the crowd. His hand resting on his blaster.

"Which way." Wilkis asks.

Miles looks down at the map again. Then looks up and points down the street.

"That way." Miles says as he starts walking. Wilkis follows close behind him.

The pair weaves their way through the densely crowded streets for about 15 minutes or so before they reach a small alleyway. Miles comes to a stop.

"According to her map, its down this alley." Miles says as he looks around and scrutinizes their surroundings. Making a mental checklist of any threats or escape routes.

"I should have known as much." Wilkis says as he looks back at the crowd. He doesn't notice any recognizable faces and so far it doesn't appear they are being followed. He turns back to Miles. "After you."

Miles turns and looks down the alley. As far as he can see down it, it appears empty. But there are plenty of shadows and crevices. Miles makes sure his blaster is within reach and heads into the darkened alley. Wilkis takes one last look at the crowd before following Miles in. They only get about 20 feet into the alley before Miles hears a blaster charging in the darkness.

"Hold it right there." A voice speaks from the shadows in front of them.

Miles hears a noise behind them as well and turns to see a large alien of a species he doesn't recognize blocking the path back to the street. Wilkis already has his blaster out and aimed at the alien. Miles turns back around and watches as a figure walks out from the shadow before them, just far enough to not reveal themselves.

"What brings you two to Nar Shaddaa?" the figure asks, it's face still obscured by the darkness, a blaster pointing at Miles.

"We're interested in dealing goods." Miles says as his hand hangs close to his own blaster.

The alien at the alley entrance stares hard at Wilkis. Wilkis wonders for a moment if he were to shoot the alien, would it even effect it? In the end he decides if it came down to it he'd just shoot for the head, it works most of the time.

"What sorts of goods?" The shadowy figure asks.

"The kind that cost money." Miles says in defiance.

The shadowy figure stands there in silence. For a brief moment, Miles thinks he may have just fallen into a deadly trap. Theres no telling how many more figures are hiding in the dark. Hell, there could even be snipers on the roof tops aiming at them right now. Eventually the silence is broken.

"This way gentlemen." The figure says as it turns and begins heading back down the alleyway.

Miles and Wilkis exchange concerned looks. Wilkis watches as the alien disappears around the corner back onto the street. Miles starts down the alley after the shadowy figure, Wilkis, his blaster still in his hand turns and follows.

Miles feels a slight annoyance at himself for not seeing the alien standing guard outside the alley when they first entered. Had this been a trap set by thieves or bounty hunter, it could have easily gotten the best of Miles and Wilkis. Miles thinks he is either out of practice at these kind of ops or they are dealing with some very skilled dealers here. For now he tries to take comfort in the latter.

"Areese told me to expect two men looking to deal arms." The figure says as he steps into a patch of light.

Miles quickly notes the man is human. The waitress must be this "Areese" and she must have called ahead to warn this man she was sending some people his way. The human reaches a small door in the side of a building and swipes a security card over a panel. The door opens.

"Please, come into my shop." The man says as he enters the doorway.

"Are you sure about this?" Wilkis whispers to Miles as he returns his blaster to its holster.

"Relax." Miles says. "Just keep your eyes peeled for trouble."

Miles enters the doorway followed closely by Wilkis. The door closes behind them. For a moment the lights are dim and it's hard to see, but as the lights charge up the room becomes clearer. It is a small 20 by 20 meter room filled with various tables. Each table has an assortment of various types of blasters on them. The human stands in the middle of the room. Miles gets his first good look at the man.

He is average height, human, with dark brown hair that populates what's left of his balding head. He appears to be in his late 40's and the scars on his face suggest he has a history of being involved with various criminal organizations. That or he has seen combat.

"So, what do you think?" The man asks as he waves his arms over his collection, a prideful smile dons his face.

Miles looks over the tables and puts on an impressed expression.

"Looks like a life sentence if you ever got caught." Wilkis says with some sarcasm.

Wilkis realizes the mistake in his wording long before he feels Miles heel digging into his foot. Miles doesn't look back at Wilkis but if he did, it would be to stare angry daggers at him. The arms dealer's eyes widen with annoyance and suspicion. Wilkis quickly tries to recover.

"So basically, just my kind of place." Wilkis says with a smile as he walks over to a table and picks up a A280 blaster rifle. He looks over it and aims it at the wall. "Not bad, this is a powerful piece of equipment, hard to come by."

"Glad you like it." The human says, a smile returning to his face.

Miles wants to slap Wilkis but is happy his partner managed to cover his error in judgment. Miles steps closer to the dealer.

"You must be Belethor?" Miles asks as he approaches the human.

"I am." Belethor responds with a smile and slight nod. "And you are?"

"My name is Miles, that there is Wilkis." Miles says as he points briefly at Wilkis who is still examining the blaster rifle.

"Pleasure to meet you both." Belethor says. "Are you looking to buy sell or trade?"

"Sell." Miles says as he surveys the room.

On board their ship, Miles has 4 crates of DH-17 blaster rifles. Miles tries to quickly see if there are any on the tables here. So far he deosn't see any. But just in case Belethor isn't interested, they also have a single crate of V-1 Thermal detonators to deal with.

"What have you got?" Belethor asks.

"We just stole 4 crates of DH-17's from BlasTech's warehouse on Druckenwell." Miles says as he turns back to look at Belethor.

"Eh DH-17's, can't get much for those my friend." Belethor says as he rubs his chin. "Got anything else?"

"We also have a crate of V-1 thermal detonators. Those I know fetch a strong price." Miles says.

Belethor has a good Sabacc face and hides his expressions well. But Miles is well trained at spotting deceit and can see this has peaked Belethors interest significantly.

"Hmmm not as much as you'd think." Belethor says. "I can give you 5,000 for it."

A low ball offer to be sure. Miles knows that on the black market, V-1's go for nearly 1,000 a piece. Either Belethor is testing Miles or he is really hoping to get lucky here. Miles decides to play hardball.

"Not a chance." Miles says. "I'll negotiate with you, but don't insult me with absurd offers."

Belethor smiles. Wilkis has put down the A280 rifle and is now toying with a nearby A295 rifle instead. He seems to barely acknowledge the conversation happening near him.

"How about 10,000?" Belethor asks.

A better deal but still not a fair price. Then again Miles sees an opportunity here.  
The man they are looking for, "Arkin", used a large yield Detonite bomb. Most likely a MM-40 thermal charge or something similar. It's clear that the weapons Belethor is dealing puts him on the low end of the Arm Dealing market on Nar Shaddaa. Arkin definitely didn't get his bomb material from this man. But it's possible that Belethor can point them in the right direction.

"How about 12,000 and you take the DH-17's as well?" Miles says. "But I'll need some help with another acquisition in addition to the sale."

Belethors eyes widen. The deal is very much in his favor, but he knows better than to trust something so good so easily.

"What is this other acquisition?" Belethor asks.

"We're looking to buy some high yield MM-40 charges." Miles says. "I know you don't deal with those so I'm hoping you can send me to someone who does."

Belethors smile fades quickly.

"What would you need explosives like that for?" Belethor asks with some scrutiny in his eyes.

"What we need them for, is our business. Suffice to say we need to take out a ship." Miles replies.

"What kind of ship, a Star Destroyer? That's a powerful charge my friend." Belethor says.

"You know anyone who can help us out?" Miles asks.

Belethor seems to consider the thought for a moment.

"I know a man. He's out near the Corellia Sector on the other side of the moon. He sells some of the high grade stuff. It won't be easy to get in contact with him though. He only deals with those he trusts and he doesn't trust anyone." Belethor says.

"12,000 and a name and we got a deal." Miles says.

Belethor looks to the ground and slowly nods his head. Wilkis has put down the rifle and is standing beside Miles now. Belethor considers the ramifications of sharing the information and weighs it against the massive profit he stands to make with this deal. It's an easy choice really.

"Deal. His name is Kyeex Bermar." Belethor says. "But he is a very dangerous man, so be careful who you ask about him. If you get in trouble you didn't get the name from me ok?"

Miles smiles. This is the best lead they've got so far. 12,000 credits and they still have a good amount of illegal goods to deal if they end up needing more money to find their man. So far so good.

"You got it." Miles says. "We're parked at docking bay 12 at Yheedo's Spaceport. You know the place?"

"I do." Belethor says.

"Good, then you bring a cargo hauler and meet us there within the hour. Bring the credits." Miles says as he signals to Wilkis to follow him, they turn and make their way out of the shop.

"See you then." Belethor says with a big smile as he watches them leave.

As Miles and Wilkis exit the alley and enter the crowded street again, Miles looks around to see if he can spot the alien from before. To his dismay he cannot. Miles turns to Wilkis.

"Alright, we've got a decent lead. Let's get back to the ship and get her ready for takeoff." Miles says.

Miles and Wilkis quickly make their way through the crowd.

An hour later Belethor arrives as agreed upon at the docking bay. Miles helps load the crates onto Belethor small hover cart. The two exchange no words as Belethor reaches into his pocket and hands a small pouch to Miles. Miles simply nods his head and smiles as he watches Belethor leave the docking bay with his cargo. Miles turns and heads up the ramp into his ship, the ramp and door closing behind him as he enters. He makes his way to the cockpit. Wilkis is already in the cockpit and has the engines warming up.

"You realize all those weapons we just sold him are going to end up in the Rebellions hands?" Wilkis says, irritation dominating his voice.

"Yeah probably." Miles says as he takes a seat next to Wilkis and straps in.

"Doesn't that bother you?" Wilkis asks as he turns to face Miles.

"Yes it bothers me. I'm not a fool Wilkis." Miles says with some annoyance. "But we have a mission, and there are bigger things on the line here."

Wilkis turns his attention back to the controls as he shakes his head with disapproval.

"Besides, anyone who goes up against the Empire, even with those weapons, will just get stomped out. Who dare stand up against the mighty Wilkis Zarin, Storm Trooper and defender of all justice?" Miles says through sarcastic laughs, his arms held over his head as if praising an invisible stature.

"Ah shut up!" Wilkis says as he finally lets a smile break free onto his face.

"Come on, let's just get this mission done." Miles says.

The engines come to life as the ship lifts off the deck. Remembering the advice from the other day Wilkis doesn't bother checking the air traffic, he simply pushes the thrusters to full and comes out of the docking bay at max speed. Several ships have to swerve to avoid a collision as the 'Ghost Jewel" turns and blasts its way up into the sky. The Corellian Sector is on the other side of the planet, and it'll take an hour to get there. Miles takes the free time to rest his eyes. He falls asleep within minutes.


End file.
